The head behind the horrors
archive.fo/VukpY By Dewayne Bevil, Sentinel Staff Writer ORLANDO SENTINEL Privacy Policy Michael Roddy started his career at Universal Studios portraying a Ghostbuster in 1992. Cut to today, when he's one of the writer/director/creative masterminds behind Universal Orlando's marquee events, including Halloween Horror Nights, now staging its 19th edition. Roddy, 41, a former actor who grew up in Atlantic Beach, Tampa and Atlanta, talks about his childhood influences (a certain shark, a classic monster) and the happiest days with the Horror Nights. Q: When I first met you, your name tag indicated you were from Amity. That's a Jaws thing, right? A: I have "Amity Island, Mass." I saw Jaws when I was 6 years old, and it was a huge influence on me. I recognize that movie along with The Wolfman and Frankenstein -- and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in specific -- as being films that made me say "I want to do that. I want to make movies or tell stories like that." I've been pursuing that ever since. Q: Did Jaws freak you out? A: I loved the story, I loved the way the story was told, I loved the humor, but also it scared me. I realized that "Wow, you can be terrified in this seat." All of a sudden I was transported out in the middle of the Atlantic ocean and being pursued by a 30-foot great white shark. Q: Do you have a theatrical background? A: I did a lot of stage stuff when I was a kid, like a tour of Oliver. I was very fortunate that I got cast in a lot of stuff, and my career path seemed to be going down that way of being a professional actor -- and I was for several years. I toured around the country and did several shows all over the place. What actually brought me to Orlando was a show at the old Mark Two Dinner Theater. I got contracted for a show here for, like, 12 weeks and afterward the contract was coming to an end and I said maybe I'll give Orlando a year. . . . I knew what Universal was, and I loved it. Luckily they had an audition shortly after that, and I got hired as a Ghostbuster, which was cool. I worked here that first summer and also worked at a place called Terror on Church Street in downtown Orlando. Next thing I know they have this little thing called Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. I auditioned for that and was Norman Bates the very first year. . . . The next year, just because of my passion, they said, "You seem to really, really enjoy the subject matter and you know a lot about it. Would you be interested in helping out?" That kind of manifested itself over the years into where I am now. Q: Is Horror Nights a year-round process? A: We've been working on 2010 since July 2009, so it's starting to actually be more than a year-round process. There's not a time where we're not in some capacity working on Halloween Horror Nights. Q: Is there a part of the creative process that you enjoy most? A: The most rewarding part for me is the first time you walk into the maze and it's just starting construction and you're like, "Wow, we're really doing this." There's always still that kick of a little kid going, "We're really doing this." Opening night is always my favorite because you can walk through and people are screaming or people are laughing. Q: You have outside projects going? A: When I'm not busy with Universal, I produce documentaries, just because I'm fascinated myself. I love hearing about how things were put together, the anecdotes and the process. The first one I did was based on Jaws. I produced a documentary called The Shark Is Still Working, which is a feature-length documentary on Jaws, which -- knock on wood -- we just got Steven Spielberg's endorsement, and it looks like it's now going to be on the Blu-Ray release of Jaws. I started a new project called Monster Kids, which is an in-depth study of the lasting impact of horror films on generations. In the late '50s, early '60s, the monsters had a resurgence and then you had monsters on TV and Famous Monsters magazine. That continued into today and has created several generations of monster kids. . . .What is it about the fantastical that inspired so many people from Guillermo Del Toro to Frank Darabont to Spielberg to Stephen King? Q: You have a pre-taped cameo in the Bill & Ted show at this year's Horror Nights. Are you incorporated every year? A: Sometimes it's by design, sometimes it's strictly by accident because someone didn't show up. Last year, I was the captain in the video of the Interstellar Terror house. This year, the director of Bill & Ted asked me if I'd open the show as a newscaster. . . . It seems to be getting some fun play. Now I'll walk through the park on a nightly basis and you'll see people look at me and say "Oh, it's the newscaster." Q: You're a Horror Nights character now! A: Yeah, I've become a character. I'm OK with that as long as people are enjoying what I'm doing. * Category:Halloween Horror Nights article Category:Halloween Horror Nights: Ripped from the Silver Screen